posted at 3:01 pm on August 8, 2013 by Ed Morrissey

Today is March on Media Day at LiveAction and Americans United for Life, who combined with the Media Research Center for a rally in Washington today outside the studio of the local ABC affiliate. Lila Rose, Jill Stanek, and Charmaine Yoest called for more honesty in reporting the truth on abortion, calling the media “collaborators with the abortion industry.”

“The media has flinched from the reality of abortion for decades,” said Live Action President Lila Rose. “We call on the press to end the censorship of what abortion actually does to our smallest children and women, and end the lionizing of abortion advocates.”

This spring and summer has seen the media bias in full bloom on abortion. The national media couldn’t be bothered to cover the trial of Kermit Gosnell, which they initially dismissed as a “local” news story despite its potential impact on the national debate over abortion, while they thundered down to Florida as a herd to cover the George Zimmerman trial … and to Arizona for the Jodi Arias trial, whose national implications were apparently “pretty girl kills boyfriend and denies it.”

When Texas followed up on the Gosnell grand jury report to better regulate abortion mills to ensure that they operated as ambulatory surgical clinics and limited abortions to 20 weeks, the media only took an interest in the woman who tried to block the bill that had support from 62% of Texans and 61% of Texas women. The same national media who couldn’t be bothered to report on the Gosnell horror without being shamed into it — and then mostly focused on whether or not it was a real news story at all — hailed Wendy Davis as a heroine for her opposition. In fact, they gave Davis three times as much coverage in three weeks as they gave the Gosnell trial in eight weeks.

Oddly, though, they never actually pressed Davis to explain why she opposed regulating abortion clinics, given the horrors of the unregulated Gosnell clinic. When John McCormack of the Weekly Standard asked her about the majority support of women for late-term abortion bans in light of Gosnell, Davis replied that she was mainly ignorant of the Gosnell case, but claimed women overall were ignorant of the lack of risk involved.

Ignorance is the entire problem, Fox News’ Kirsten Powers writes today in the Daily Beast, and it’s “Democratic ladies” who are pushing it, abetted by a national media all too eager to demonize anyone challenging them:

Actually, the people who “don’t really understand” the issue are the Democratic ladies crusading against laws the majority of the country supports.

Despite frequently mocking anti-abortion activists as anti-science know-nothings, abortion rights absolutists are the ones who play fast and loose with the facts of abortion. Because they are so rarely asked to defend their positions, Davis and her ilk apparently don’t feel the need to be informed. Follow-up questions to their strange and often empirically false statements are almost nonexistent, while offensive or misinformed comments from GOP back benchers are greeted with full-scale media hysteria.

John McCormack has been the dogged fly in the ointment here. On a noble quest to get a response to an eminently reasonable question, he has yet to get a straight answer. In June, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi convened a press conference to condemn a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks. McCormack asked her essentially the same question he asked Davis: “What is the moral difference between what Dr. Gosnell did to a baby born alive at 23 weeks and aborting her moments before birth? Pelosi answered, “You’re probably enjoying that question a lot, I can see you savoring it.” This insulting nonsense inexplicably elicited laughter from some of the assembled reporters.

It’s not really all that inexplicable, as Powers makes clear. They’re on the side of abortionists, not those who question their supporters. That remains true even when the supporters say something as jaw-dropping as Pelosi’s parting shot at McCormack:

Pelosi then expressed outrage at the line of questioning, raised the fact she had five children in six years, and snapped, “As a practicing and respectful Catholic, this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this.” When you are pulling the Catholic card to defend your support of unrestricted late-term abortion, you’ve officially gone off the rails.

And when the rest of the reporters failed to question that statement, it just demonstrated that they’ve officially gone off the rails as well. So much for that oft-quoted (by J-school grads) media mission of “telling truth to power.”

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Nah, Kristen Powers is a Democrat acting like a Democrat on Fox. The only difference is she isn’t a batcrap Democrat. It doesn’t mean she’s one of us, but as “batcrap” becomes an increasingly prevalent trait among supporters of the Democratic party it starts to appear that way.

“What is the moral difference between what Dr. Gosnell did to a baby born alive at 23 weeks and aborting her moments before birth? Pelosi answered, “You’re probably enjoying that question a lot, I can see you savoring it.” This insulting nonsense inexplicably elicited laughter from some of the assembled reporters.

WTF, Pelosi? Talk about a “let them eat cake” attitude. The Lefties just don’t have to answer to anybody, and are OUTRAGED when somebody forgets this and dares ask a question.

This insulting nonsense inexplicably elicited laughter from some of the assembled reporters.

With the help of the Wickersham Brothers and dozens
of Wickersham uncles and Wickersham cousins
and Wickersham in-laws, whose help I’ve engaged,
you’re going to be roped! And you’re going to be caged!
And, as for our dust speck…hah!
That we shall boil in hot steaming kettle of beezle-nut oil!

The positions of the regressive abortion absolutists is becoming less morally tenable by the day – if that’s possible. Science, medicine and society have progressed tremendously over the last 40 years, and the pro-abortion crowd along with their media allies are stuck in the 70’s. They are an anachronism.

I’ll give major kudos to Kirsten on this issue, Benghazi and a few others. She is a lefty, but tends to think for herself most of the time and has the courage to speak against her party when she feels it is appropriate.

Hey Ed. Considering the librul media pukes, how can you fault them for wanting to cover something next to Disney in Florida, rather than go to Philadelphia? What sane person wants to go to Philadelphia? (W. C. Fields, excepted)

Also, the dhimocrapts do not have ladies (“Democratic ladies” ) Nobody that advocates killing born and unborn babies can ever be classified as a “Lady.” Rather, they should, under the most civilized circumstances, be classified as “Dhimpcrapt women.” Under the less than civilized circumstances, under which they operate, call them anything you want, but expect it to be filtered.

The comments are inexplicable. These people are ghouls. I have as much in common with them as an Aborigine. Probably less.

makattak on August 8, 2013 at 3:38 PM

Much less. Those people simply refuse to accept the fact that when an abortion occurs a child dies. They just can’t relate to that. It’s like they have a mental block. Then again the left always has to hide what they are truly about because no sane person could accept their values. They always have to lie and obfuscate to hide their true agenda and when you call them on it they yell “Racist!” or some other equally ignorant rant.

Also, the dhimocrapts do not have ladies (“Democratic ladies” ) Nobody that advocates killing born and unborn babies can ever be classified as a “Lady.” Rather, they should, under the most civilized circumstances, be classified as “Dhimpcrapt women.” Under the less than civilized circumstances, under which they operate, call them anything you want, but expect it to be filtered.

Old Country Boy on August 8, 2013 at 3:44 PM

Sarah Palin, Nikki Haley and Mia Love are real ladies, unlike my sorry excuses for U.S. Senators (I live in California, as you have probably guessed).

The comments are inexplicable. These people are ghouls. I have as much in common with them as an Aborigine. Probably less.

makattak on August 8, 2013 at 3:38 PM

When you mix arrogance with ignorance – Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Schumer and the entire Kneepad Media – you enable the savages (which the Aborigines are NOT) who will sacrifice anyone who blasphemes against their CULT.

The legal transcripts of the Salem witchcraft trials are Socratic compared to the barbaric comments from the “Abortion is ALWAYS holy” crowd on full display after the KP article.

They always have to lie and obfuscate to hide their true agenda and when you call them on it they yell “Racist!” or some other equally ignorant rant.

Oldnuke on August 8, 2013 at 3:45 PM

I have grown tired of pointing out their cognitive dissonance …

… so now I just observe they must have a serious congenital defect and should thereby self-abort if they TRULY believe abortion is the correct CHOICE so parents are not weighed down for a lifetime by a severely handicapped child.

democrat platform equals baby killing, gay marriage and no God (along with being crappy stewards of the money they shake us down for)……vote for a democrat and you vote for the platform….behind powers smile is a baby killing democrat

Great column, and I say that as one who has never cared much about the abortion issue. Now I do care, because of Gosnell and the Dems who defend late term abortion.

Her point about the lack of knowledge of the abortion advocates reminds me of the astonishing ignorance on the part of the leading Dems who’ve made gun control their life’s mission. She’s right that the lazy corrupt press never challenge Dems on these issues.

Despite frequently mocking anti-abortion activists as anti-science know-nothings, abortion rights absolutists are the ones who play fast and loose with the facts of abortion. Because they are so rarely asked to defend their positions, Davis and her ilk apparently don’t feel the need to be informed. Follow-up questions to their strange and often empirically false statements are almost nonexistent, while offensive or misinformed comments from GOP back benchers are greeted with full-scale media hysteria.

Anti-abortion activists are anti-science when they continue to repeat something that has been know to be a lie for twenty years: abortion causes breast cancer. I know of nothing that pro-abortion people say that is nearly as anti-science as that. I have no clue what Powers may even be talking in terms of empirically false statements by them beyond claims that the new pro-life regulations will close many abortion clinics.

I admit that I haven’t known the irrational feminists who speak for the pro-choice movement since college. I will guess that another reason that those pro-choice “spokeswomen” attack the anti-abortion people as anti-science is the pro-life movement claims that membership in the species Homo sapien is morally equivalent to human personhood. The abortion supporters that are willing to talk about deeply about politics that I know find that extremely problematic.

I’ll give major kudos to Kirsten on this issue, Benghazi and a few others. She is a lefty, but tends to think for herself most of the time and has the courage to speak against her party when she feels it is appropriate.

a capella on August 8, 2013 at 3:29 PM

Kirsten Powers is a liberal Democrat on most issues, but she does have a mind and a soul, and has the courage to publicly recognize where her party has gone too far, and act as a voice of reason. She had been an operative in the Bill Clinton campaign, where Clinton won the 1996 election by “moving to the center” and embracing some conservative positions (such as welfare reform), while the Republicans maintained control of Congress in the same elections.

Her current comments supporting a ban on abortions after 20 weeks are probably designed to move her fellow Democrats toward the center and help them win elections, instead of the far-left position opposed by over 60% of the public, which would be a political loser.

She wasn’t ‘mainly’ ignorant of the Gosnell case. She was WHOLLY ignorant of the case.

She said the ONLY think that SHE DID KNOW as that Gosnell operated an ‘ambulatory surgical centre.’

Er, no. Gosnell did NOT operate an ‘ambulatory surgical centre.’

She didn’t even know what she claimed that she knew.

Resist We Much on August 8, 2013 at 4:03 PM

No, the lying b!tch knew full well about the Gosnell homicides. It was the central part of the Senate debate, in hearings and on the floor, and all the nasty details were laid out for her and the others to hear, over and over again. Her memory was quite conveniently lacking, when the question was asked.

Her current comments supporting a ban on abortions after 20 weeks are probably designed to move her fellow Democrats toward the center and help them win elections, instead of the far-left position opposed by over 60% of the public, which would be a political loser.
Steve Z on August 8, 2013 at 5:24 PM

Maybe, maybe not, but she’s gonna pay a price for it. How she deals with that price will determine whether she moves to the right or further to the left.

The media and the democrats are married.They own the abortion,guns,environment,unions,schools,antiwar,illegals,Obamacare,green energy,Hollywood,welfare,the major networks and most cable news.They let the world know daily the Tea Party members are insane and the rest of the party are rich old white men.Anything a republican says about any of these issues is immediatly slaughtered by the press.The worst democrats are getting elected to offices by landslides when they should be in prison.I find it hard to believe we can win any election.

I don’t care about Kirsten Powers or Nancy Pelosi or any of that execrable political tribe. All that matters to me is my opinion, my worldview, my life experience. I support abortion in certain circumstances (usually dire, such as rape, incest, a impregnated clueless child, abysmal birth defects where the baby would suffer after birth, and the mother’s health — in that order). That said, the 20 week ban on abortions is reasonable to me. If you don’t know by then, you’re too stupid or delusional to warrant bearing a child.

I know these positions are not acceptable to most of the pro-life side of the debate and i respect their view, but I don’t apologize for my own. I revere life as much as anybody, but my own experience in living a long life has taught me that sometimes the hard choices must be made for the sake of those lives that come after.

There are two kinds of liberal plebes, open minded and close minded. The open minded liberal often becomes a Conservative when exposed to objective reality (Ronald Reagan, David Mamet, Robert Horowitz, someone you probably know). Closed minded ones die ignorant. Powers is being exposed to the objective reality on Fox, and you can see her slowly evolving. She’s beginning to see through the mendacity of liberalism.

Seems to me that Democrat ladies are also the ones most likely to be willing to trade personal freedoms for state security, be it economic, physical, or otherwise, except when it comes o the abortion topic, then they morph into some latter day “Neue Ethik” Stoeker and Bund activists.